Tag: Cleto Cordero

Six of the Best Alison Krauss Covers

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

Alison Krauss has been recording and releasing music with her band, Union Station, for longer than she’s been able to legally drink or vote. Along the way, she’s been a key influence in the lives and careers of countless other musicians, many of whom have recorded and performed covers of their favorite Alison Krauss material.

Famously signing with Rounder Records when she was just 16, Krauss has spent the past four decades offering inspiration to multiple generations of artists spanning many genres, from bluegrass and country to Americana, folk, and beyond. She’s collaborated with fellow legends like Dolly Parton, Neil Young, and Robert Plant, and her list of honors includes not one, not two, but 27 GRAMMY Awards. In fact, she’s the fifth-most GRAMMY-awarded musician of all time, across all genres and categories.

As we highlight the vibrant legacy of Alison Krauss & Union Station, our Artist of the Month, in celebration of Arcadia, their first album in over a decade, we’re carving out some space for the performers who have skillfully and reverently covered Krauss and her music over the years. From big names and bluegrass stalwarts to some less expected artists that land a bit further off the beaten path.

While not all of our selections are Alison Krauss & Union Station originals, you can tell each of these musicians have been distinctly inspired by Krauss and her musical legacy. The internet is chock full of Alison Krauss covers, and we think these are six of the best.

“Whiskey Lullaby” – Kaitlin Butts and Flatland Cavalry

Originally released by Brad Paisley on his 2003 album, Mud on the Tires, “Whiskey Lullaby” was penned by Jon Randall and Bill Anderson and remains one of Krauss’s most popular songs as a featured guest artist. This cover by country phenoms Kaitlin Butts and Cleto Cordero of Flatland Cavalry – and featuring multi-instrumentalist Kurt Ozan on Dobro – infuses fresh grit and intimacy into the somber sensitivity of the original. While it’s hard to compete with Krauss’s bright, soaring vocals, Butts honors them well while staying true to her own rich vocal timbre.

We also recommend checking out this version where Paisley and Krauss perform the track at Carnegie Hall back in 2005.

Plus, the pair recently reunited on the special Opry 100: A Live Celebration TV broadcast to perform the song, as well. It was one of our favorite moments from the event.

“The Boy Who Wouldn’t Hoe Corn” – Dan Tyminski

You might know Dan Tyminski as the voice of Ulysses Everett McGill (AKA George Clooney’s character in O Brother, Where Art Thou?), but he was also a longtime member of Alison Krauss & Union Station. In 2001, Tyminski arranged and recorded a version of “The Boy Who Wouldn’t Hoe Corn” for the band’s album New Favorite.

In this video recorded for BBC Four, Tyminski leads the charge, belting this stunning rendition of the American folk traditional. While admittedly not a cover in the truest sense of the word (since Tyminski also sings lead vocals on the original), we couldn’t help but include this heart-stopping performance with Jerry Douglas, Russ Barenburg, Aly Bain, and more.

Tyminski performs the song as a member of Alison Krauss & Union Station in this equally impressive video from a 2002 performance in Louisville, Kentucky.

Tyminski left AKUS before the release of Arcadia and has been replaced in the band and on the recordings by bluegrass veteran Russell Moore. Still, Tyminski does appear on Arcadia on a couple of tracks and he also co-wrote “The Wrong Way.”

“My Love Follows You Where You Go” – Lori McKenna

Another unconventional cover, Lori McKenna co-wrote “My Love Follows You Where You Go” for Alison Krauss, but she didn’t record or release it herself until 2013. Alison Krauss & Union Station had recorded and released it on their acclaimed 2011 album, Paper Airplane.

This offbeat love song captures the richness and complexity of Krauss’s singing and performance style; hearing McKenna perform it adds another layer of depth. McKenna wrote the track with Barry Dean and Liz Rose as a bittersweet love note to her children. She shared her feelings about it with American Songwriter in 2013: “I was able to sing it pretty well. Not as beautifully as Alison Krauss, of course. But I’m happy that one made my record because it is such a message to our kids.”

Watch AKUS performing the number on a live television performance from 2011:

“Let Me Touch You For A While” — Mary Spender

Mary Spender isn’t too well-known in the American bluegrass scene, but she’s an acclaimed British singer-songwriter and YouTuber. Guitarist Magazine even called her “one of the most dynamic, expressive young British singer-songwriters working today.” She’s one of many young musicians who draws inspiration from Alison Krauss.

Spender has one of those rich, soulful voices that makes you stop and catch your breath when you first hear it. It’s hard to anticipate and it’s also very distinct from Krauss’s light, angelic voice. But in this cover of “Let Me Touch You For A While,” Spender offers a simple yet jaw-dropping performance that boldly honors the original while taking things in a unique direction. Accompanied only by her guitar, Spender brings a sultry, driving energy to the song’s emotional complexity and leans into her impressive vocal range.

Originally recording the track in 2001 for New Favorite, it would go on to become one of their most recognizable hits. Krauss & Union Station performed “Let Me Touch You For A While” alongside Jerry Douglas at the Opry 100 celebration last month.

“No Place to Hide” – Adam Steffey

If you’re a diehard AKUS fan, you’ll definitely recognize Adam Steffey’s name; he’s another past member of Union Station from 1990 to 1998. Here, Steffey and his own band (including Tyminski) give a raucous rendition of “No Place to Hide,” a song Steffey recorded with Union Station on So Long So Wrong (1997). A straightforward “mash” bluegrass track, “No Place to Hide” booms and rolls with the band’s strong vocal harmonies and tight, effortless timing.

Here’s a much earlier live version of the song that’s got a more traditional bluegrass sound by Krauss and band:

“The Lucky One” – Jessica Willis Fisher, Gavin Trent

One of Krauss’s major country hits, “The Lucky One” was originally released on New Favorite in 2001. That same year, it won two GRAMMY Awards: Best Country Song and Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group. This stripped-down cover by Jessica Willis Fisher and Gavin Trent honors Krauss’s voice and musicianship in a way few other musicians can. Fisher has a similarly bright, soprano voice, and she can definitely hold her own on the fiddle, which she’s been playing since she was a child. As soon as you start listening, it’s clear Fisher is inspired by Krauss and this rendition serves as a fitting tribute.

A lifelong musician, Fisher has received praise from CMT, American Songwriter, and Billboard, and she’s worked with some of the same songwriters who write for AKUS – but it’s still possible you’ve never heard of her. Fisher has intentionally stayed out of the public eye in recent years (despite releasing her debut solo album, Brand New Day, in 2022) due to significant personal trauma tied to her family history. Fisher now uses the trauma she’s endured to help others heal, both through her music and her writing.

Alison Krauss & Union Station performed “The Lucky One” live on CMT in 2005:

Explore more of our Artist of the Month content on Alison Krauss & Union Station here.

Photo Credit: Randee St. Nicholas

Flatland Cavalry’s 10th Anniversary Compilation, ‘Flatland Forever,’ Traces Their Rise

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

Ten years after a band of college friends played their first show in Lubbock, Texas, Flatland Cavalry have finally stopped moving to take a look around. Released in early November, their latest album, Flatland Forever, is a 25-song chronological opus, sampling key tracks from their six acclaimed albums. But, as with most things the band does, it isn’t your typical “greatest hits” package.

Also finding space for a few unreleased gems, Flatland Forever traces the contours of a remarkable roots music rise. This Cavalry has ridden to the rescue of countless country fans, pushing an indie ethos deep into the mainstream while retaining a self-contained spirit, and the Forever project offers new listeners an easy way to get up to speed.

Their 10 years have seen Flatland gather 500 million streams and a Gold certification for the tender “A Life Where We Work Out,” while establishing their live-band cred alongside the genre’s best and brightest. 2024 alone saw them score their first ACM Awards nomination (for Group of the Year), plus high-profile Hollywood placements in Yellowstone, Twisters, and more.

They also marked their first headlining shows at iconic venues like Red Rocks Amphitheatre and Ryman Auditorium, and they made a triumphant return to Texas on December 31, headlining Fort Worth’s Dickies Arena for the first time. Then it’s on to the Flatland Forever Tour – kicking off February 7 in Atlanta – with a new setlist to match the album in scope and satisfaction.

It definitely seems like a good time to take stock of how far Flatland Cavalry has come, and in a conversation with Good Country last month, lead singer and songwriter Cleto Cordero does just that. Breaking from a peaceful morning in Nashville which found him “sitting like a hippie or a cat and letting the sun hit me in the face, just breathing,” Cordero explains where Flatland Forever came from, and what it feels like to pass a true milestone.

Why don’t you start by telling me how you’re feeling these days. This is definitely a milestone that most bands never even imagined they’ll reach. So how’s it feel?

Cleto Cordero: It feels really good. It feels like a lot of hard work paying off and proof that persistence can get you where you aspire to go. It’s been a long journey, but you wake up one day and it’s like 10 years later and heck, man, you’re walking in the dream that was just in your head 10 years ago. So it feels good. It’s affirming.

That’s a beautiful thing for sure. It’s been ten years since the band started. I just wonder, are you still feeling inspired by music making?

We stay pretty busy on the road, so it is challenging to find that zen where, to me, the songs come from. But that’s why I’m seeking it. That’s why I’m sitting in the sun in my library. I just listened to a meditation last night and it was a lecture by Neville Goddard, and he’s talking about being still – it’s like the old biblical scripture, “Be still know that I’m God.” I think as much as we move and shake and hustle and bustle, that place where songs come from in my heart seems harder to hear. So I have to seek that inspiration and try to convene with it every day.

Tell me a little bit about Flatland Forever and the idea behind this. It seems like the key for you guys was to make it more than a greatest hits package, right?

The idea was initially brought to me by Matt Morris at Interscope Records, who we began working with last September. He had an idea like, “Y’all have so many great songs. And for someone that doesn’t know who Flatland is, it’s kind of a lot to chew on. Maybe there’s a way we can put all the songs in one place on a compilation.” And as he was saying that, I told him I had an idea for an album that I want to make one day called Flatland Forever. I was like, “That’s literally what I envisioned it to be.”

So his idea and mine kind of melded together and then I didn’t want it to just be stuff that we had already released. I wanted to throw in some unreleased songs or stuff that we had recorded but never shared, and it morphed into this smorgasbord of old and new.

As you were putting it together, did you notice any creative growth? As you went back through these older songs, how did they line up with the new stuff?

I mean, a [new] song called “Three Car Garage,” that’s something I could imagine myself writing last week or something. … I think if you listen to the start of the album and then you make your way on to the very end, it will be a journey hearing us evolve sonically and lyrically and all that stuff. … But I wrote that one when I was in college and I had skipped class one day and I was just sitting in my garage.

I took a look around and the books I’d been reading at the time, like, “write about what you know,” so I just took a look around and that’s literally the vantage point of me sitting in the garage. But there’s also some other meaning to it as well, because the bridge is like, “If you’re bored and got nothing to do, change your point of view.” It captures a youthful spirit. I’m glad it came out 10 years later – whenever we sing it, I’m like, “Okay, that’s young, hopeful, optimistic, enthusiastic Cleto.”

Since the album covers the band’s whole history, does it also kind of capture the spirit of a live show?

It does. The good thing about having a lot of songs to play is you have a lot of variety, but then we’ve been on this Wandering Star Tour and I really want to give those songs a chance. But yeah, the idea of Flatland Forever is this compilation thing, so our next tour will be named after that and I feel like we can play anything from the vault in any order. … It’s making me think a little bit, creatively. Like, I can start off the show with “Sleeping Alone” or it can be totally different every night and any song.

What’s it feel like to get to go to Fort Worth to Dickies Arena and headline?

A dream come true. We’ve worked really hard for 10 years to get to a place where we can fill up a room with hopefully 10,000 people. I mean, we played Fort Worth the last two years in a row, two nights each at Billy Bob’s – which is like 5,000 people [each night]. Our booking agent told me last New Year’s Eve, “Hey, the next time you play Fort Worth, it’s going to be at the arena.” And so this date has been a year in my brain. It’s been the little lighthouse on the coast. All the shows we played this year, to me it’s all like, “What have I learned? What can I apply to this big show on New Year’s Eve?” And hopefully, Lord willing, I do envision that for us – to put on an arena show and take it everywhere.

“A Life Where We Work Out” is now Gold-certified. Congratulations on that. What does that accomplishment mean to you?

I feel lucky and grateful, because that song was written about a relationship that I had messed up. Now it’s like a mistake I had made and how a mistake can turn into a Gold record is pretty ironic and kind of crazy. But I don’t say that at the expense of the other person on the other end of that relationship. It was just a dumb, young college kind of thing. But how that turned into a Gold record, meeting my wife, and our biggest song. I think God [or] the Universe has a sense of humor. You know what I mean? Even if we screw it up ourselves so badly, it still can turn into something golden. So I feel really lucky and grateful.

My favorite part of the record is what you guys end up doing with “Mornings With You.” Including the work tape and then also the fully fleshed-out version is really cool. Are you trying to show fans something with that?

Yeah, so before a song gets recorded, there’s always a work tape cut first, or else we’ll forget it. … And no one ever gets to hear that. I just wanted to share that with the fans, and there’ll be a deluxe version of the record that comes out. … It’ll have commentary about the work tapes and more acoustic versions and stuff. So it’ll be more that kind of stuff.

I will just leave you with the big picture. What do you hope your fans are going to take away from Flatland Forever?

The takeaway is that a little band made of college kids followed their dreams and, 10 years later, they have a small little pile of work that they’ve worked towards year after year. That’s the amalgamation of it. And if anything, it’s just a testament that if you pursue your dreams and work hard and don’t give up on it, then you can literally do anything that you aspire to. That’s what I hope people can take away. And the last song, “Chasing a Feeling,” talks about that.

Photo Credit: Fernando Garcia

BGS 5+5: The Panhandlers

Posted on by Editor

Artist: The Panhandlers (Josh Abbott, John Baumann, William Clark Green and Cleto Cordero)
Hometown: West Texas
Latest Album: Tough Country
Rejected Band Names: “I’m pretty sure we had a couple we were tossing around, but the second Cleto came up with The Panhandlers, we all knew that was the one! I can’t remember what the other options were.” – Josh Abbott

Which artist has influenced you the most … and how?

I have always been inspired by Willie Nelson. He can sing, write, is a monster of a picker, acts in movies, and last but not least, he seems like a genuine, humble, good-hearted person. – Cleto Cordero

What other art forms — literature, film, dance, painting, etc — inform your music?

As soon as I began reading fiction from some of the “classics,” such as Hemingway and Steinbeck, my writing voice began to flourish and become more colorful. As boring as grammar can be to learn, it is mighty helpful when you’re trying to write out your complete and full thoughts and ideas. – Cleto Cordero

What’s the toughest time you ever had writing a song?

For The Panhandlers, I’d argue it’s “Where Cotton Is King.” We first started that on the bus ride to Marfa for our first writing trip in August 2019. We didn’t finish it until fall 2021, which worked out great for this new album. – Josh Abbott

If you had to write a mission statement for your career, what would it be

To be respected as a good songwriter – William Clark Green

For The Panhandlers, it’s to be a legacy that inspires others decades from now to collaborate for a concept where the sum is even greater than its parts. – Josh Abbott

To create community through music. – Cleto Cordero

Since food and music go so well together, what is your dream pairing of a meal and a musician?

Chicken fried steak & Guy Clark – Josh Abbott

Photo Credit: Mackenzie Ryan Photography

LISTEN: The Panhandlers, “West Texas Is the Best Texas”

Posted on by Editor

Artist: The Panhandlers
Hometown: West Texas
Song: “West Texas Is the Best Texas”
Album: West Texas Is the Best Texas EP
Release Date: October 7, 2022
Label: The Panhandlers / Deep Roots Management / Make Wake Artists

In Their Words: “Waylon Jennings and his band roll into a West Texas saloon. There’s an uptempo pianist playing with a fiddler and a banjo player. After their set, Waylon invites them over, and two hours later they’re still taking whiskey shots and sharing stories along with a snarky but good-spirited local rancher. That’s ‘West Texas Is the Best Texas.'” — Josh Abbott

“I recall bringing to the table the idea that we write a bridge to this very proud song — a disclaimer that, although we boast ‘West Texas Is the Best Texas,’ it’s ultimately just a song, and we love all of Texas and all Texans. I feared and imagined that without it, there would be pockets of folks everywhere (in the state) that would boo and throw shit on stage when we played it in their neck of the woods. I also recall that it was supposed to be in the styling of a Western swing song, but ‘Midland Jamboree’ already occupied that space, so I think it was Scott Davis (Bass) that insisted we try to spin it à la Don Williams. And boy was that THE MOVE! I LOVE how the groove just drives home the mojo and spirit of the lyrics. One of my favorite Panhandlers recordings ever!” — Cleto Cordero

Photo Credit: Mackenzie Ryan Photography

With Debut Album, The Panhandlers Take Pride in West Texas

Posted on by Editor

The Panhandlers are carrying on a West Texas songwriting tradition that’s both witty and wistful, and their self-titled debut album will almost certainly appeal to anyone who’s fond of the Lubbock life. With 10 original songs about their home turf, the four artists — Josh Abbott, Josh Baumann, Cleto Cordero, and William Clark Green — teamed up with producer Bruce Robison, who somehow makes the task of balancing four lead singers look like a breeze.

By email, all four of the Panhandlers fielded questions from BGS about working together, writing about each other, and not quite being able to leave West Texas behind.

BGS: I’m sure you guys all knew each other before this project, but when did you all first get into a room together?

John Baumann: Other than music festivals or late-night gatherings after shows on buses, the first time we sat down and talked about this project as a group was at The Next Waltz office in Austin, Texas. I think Josh was still mispronouncing my last name at the time. Needless to say, the group was all on good terms and friendly, but I think this project really bonded us as musicians, songwriters, business partners and made us become friends.

William Clark Green: I have written with Josh and John previously, but it was my first time writing with Cleto. It was a lot of fun getting to see his thought process. Obviously I have a lot of respect for everyone. I knew we wouldn’t be writing any trash songs.

There are several references on this album about leaving West Texas behind. Is that common for people to insist they’re going to move on, but never actually do? And what compels them to stay, do you think?

Josh Abbott: Well it’s twofold: 1) Yes, I think it’s common for people to desire a change and never seek it, and 2) There are a lot of folks who have to move away and reflect on their time there with nostalgia and a fondness. This isn’t exclusively unique to being from that region of Texas by any means, but it’s the lens from how we approached this album.

Cleto Cordero: There’s not much to see or do in West Texas that isn’t related to oil and gas or farming and after a while the sometimes bleak landscape can lend one to ponder what [it would be like] to live in a big city or any other place with topography that isn’t flat or covered in mesquite bush! Oh, and water… jumping into a body of West Texas water only occurs in one’s dream. Most folks entertain the idea of leaving for greener pastures (which is why I believe creatives flourish there, always exercising their dreaming muscles), but end up sticking around because although life there is simple, it is a great place to raise a family. The land is home to many good-hearted, hard-working people — traits that come through persistence and faithfulness.

JB: Ironically, all four of us have left the region at some time or another, but it always calls us back. Mostly for opportunities to perform, but sometimes just to see people you have gotten to know. I have become such close friends with some people in the region that sometimes it feels like I have a second life there when I go back, and I just pick right back up where I left off. I think it’s common for people to want to leave the area, and explore bigger and more developed cities, but there is something about it that always calls you back. I think people also feel compelled to stay. They love the sunsets, and dry air, and the four seasons — one of those only regions in Texas that actually gets four seasons. And seriously Lubbock is one of the friendliest cities in the U.S. Not just because the billboards say it, but because it really feels true.

WCG: I think the Mac Davis song says it best: “Happiness was Lubbock, Texas in my rearview mirror.” The song eventually turns around and tells the story of how much you miss the country and the people

“This Is My Life” captures the life of a touring musician in Texas — brisket for lunch, pizza at night. And you’re sharing it with friends — “a rowdy group of dreamers, drinkers, and has-beens.” Josh, how hard (or easy) was it to kind of distill these guys’ personalities to just a few lines?

JA: Honestly, it flowed pretty naturally. I wrote it in less than an hour at my house the night before our last studio day. Bruce encouraged me to write a feature song where I could have a voice on the album since the other three guys all have features. I originally just wanted to blend in the background on this album, but Bruce said I needed a feature too. So I went home and just wrote a song about the group and the life we live. The only line I debated was “William’s loud but he’s a good hang” mostly because I didn’t want it to seem like a shot at him. But that’s his personality and that’s why everyone loves him. So I kept it in there.

CC: I love how fun and simple that song is. I think Josh captured each of us pretty well.

I like the dry humor on this record, like on “No Handle.” It’s funny without being corny, which is tricky. As songwriters, how do you strike that balance of being lighthearted without going into novelty song territory?

JA: I’m not sure I’ve figured out that balance! But John Baumann sure has!

JB: I just tried to be as plainspoken about it as possible. I just found humor in the fact that there is a guy who is openly unhappy about where he is. I think it is a delicate balance, but I think it’s important for voices in songs, or narrators, to have personality — be it sad, or ironic, or subtly jabbing. It just gives the lyric and the story more truth.

WCG: I think you just have to believe in what you are saying and the rest comes with it.

CC: I heard Carlos Santana say during a video something along the lines of “You should play, write, sing, and perform being led by your Spirit. If you want to be funny or make a joke of everything, you should be a comedian.” I think John (who wrote that song) is a clever man, but he knows the difference between clever and being a jester. I believe he is the former.

“Caprockin’” shows a bittersweet portrait of life in and around Lubbock. What sets that city apart from other places you’ve been in Texas? What do you wish people understood better about it?

JA: I think my biggest frustration with people about Lubbock is [when they say] that it’s in the middle of nowhere and there’s nothing to do. And I just don’t agree with that, especially in the era we live in now. You can fly to Lubbock from the major cities in Texas in less than two hours. And there hasn’t been a city that has transformed as much in a per capita manner than Lubbock has. Businesses are developing constantly, the city is expanding south at a rapid pace, and Texas Tech has grown into an enormous institution. All Lubbock lacks is professional sports teams, high property taxes, and congested traffic. Lubbock is great! I’m glad John wrote this song with a sense of endearment. This song channels Jimmie Dale Gilmore so much to me.

JB: The friendliness of it. People will take the shirt off their back for you at every corner. They treat strangers like friends. They support you when nobody else will. They rarely have a bad word to say about anyone. I wish people understood that it’s more than just a flat desert panhandle town. It has a real community, and it’s a wonderful place to raise a family.

CC: Many towns in West Texas just don’t have the infrastructure that allow artists to flourish. Lubbock seems to be a mecca for artists and musicians of West Texas because it has just about everything you’d need to get a musical dream to take flight: a continuous stream of young, potential listeners (via Texas Tech University), a legendary watering hole and stage to play your original songs (via the Bluelight Live), and various local radio stations that promote and play local artists (via Red Dirt Rebel). I don’t think folks outside of West Texas understand how we find it so beautiful a place, despite it being dry, dusty Flatland.

WCG: I wish people understood how laid-back and nice the people are in West Texas. In all my travels they are my favorite.

Photo credit: Charlie Stout